The Pirates first baseman hit homers in the first, second and eighth innings in an 18-5 win over the Cubs.

Bell finished four for six with seven RBIs. It was the 20th three-homer game in franchise history, according to MLB.com, and the first ever by a switch-hitter.

Colin Moran went a perfect five for five with two RBIs, Adam Frazier was five for six with a pair of RBIs and five other Pirates each finished with one RBI.

Adbert Alzolay had a rough start against Pittsburgh and was ultimately pegged with the loss. He lasted 2.2 innings and allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs.

The Pirates are five games behind the National League (NL) Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Chicago fell to one game behind Milwaukee.

Yelich homers again

Christian Yelich hit his major league-leading 30th home run to help the Brewers rally and beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-6.

Kevin Kiermaier hit a three-run homer to lift the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles 6-3.

Gordon struggles

The Royals could have used a little more offense to keep up with the Toronto Blue Jays, who won 11-4 on Monday. Alex Gordon finished 0 for four with two strikeouts for Kansas City.

Triple for Slater

This is both an offensive highlight and a clip that could end up on the San Diego Padres’ blooper reel as the San Francisco Giants’ Austin Slater hit an RBI triple that bounced around outfielder Franmil Reyes.

Monday’s results

Toronto Blue Jays 11-4 Kansas City RoyalsPittsburgh Pirates 18-5 Chicago CubsMilwaukee Brewers 8-6 Cincinnati RedsTampa Bay Rays 6-3 Baltimore OriolesSan Francisco Giants 13-2 San Diego Padres

Yankees at Mets

It is a showdown in New York. The Yankees return to their home state to face the Mets on Tuesday. They have won 13 of their past 14 games, including a sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the London Series. The Yankees hope to keep winning and will send James Paxton (5-3, 4.34 ERA) to the mound. Meanwhile, the Mets have been struggling, dropping seven of their past eight. They have a lot of ground to gain in the NL East and will hope to turn the tide with Zack Wheeler (6-5, 4.51 ERA) starting.

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